Litbuy Sheet Cleanerindependent buyer tool

guides · written for this tool

Six guides for keeping a Litbuy spreadsheet trustworthy

These are original, practical notes written to match the cleaner on this site. They are not marketing copy and they make no promises. Read them as a checklist you can follow row by row.

record the dateprices are observationsknow your image type

01 · Intake

Turn a messy Litbuy spreadsheet into a clean working file

This is the exact sequence that works with the cleaner on the tool page. It keeps your raw data untouched while you build a tidy copy next to it.

  1. 1

    Keep one untouched original

    Create a second sheet or a copy of the file first. Do every edit on the copy. If a clean later goes wrong you can always fall back to the raw rows — you never want to clean your only copy.

  2. 2

    Copy the rows or export a CSV

    Either select your rows and copy them, then paste into the input box on the tool page, or export the sheet as CSV and use the upload button. The cleaner accepts both; it reads the text right inside the page.

  3. 3

    Confirm the header row

    The first non-empty line is treated as the header. Make sure your URL column has a clear name such as 'link' or 'product_url' — that name becomes the column you pick in the next step.

  4. 4

    Pick the URL column carefully

    If two columns look like links, choose the one that points at the canonical product page, not a short redirect or a tracking link. The cleaner only cleans the column you choose.

  5. 5

    Never delete your ID columns

    Order numbers, SKUs, and reference IDs are what let you match a cleaned row back to what it actually was. The cleaner keeps every original column and only appends new ones.

  6. 6

    Review Errors and Duplicates first

    Open the Error filter and the Duplicate filter before you look at the good rows. That is where the real problems hide — a bad link is worse than a missing one because it looks fine at a glance.

Common mistakes to avoid

  • Cleaning the only copy of your sheet.
  • Deleting ID columns 'because they look messy'.
  • Assuming the first link-looking column is the product URL.

02 · Provenance

Record the source and the date for every row you keep

A row without a source and a date is useless three weeks later. This is how to make your worksheet traceable without slowing yourself down.

  1. 1

    Add a source_url column

    For each row, note the exact page you read the link from. Not 'the catalogue' — the exact URL. Copy it while you are on the page, not from memory later.

  2. 2

    Add a checked_on column in YYYY-MM-DD

    Use one fixed format so it sorts correctly. Write the date you actually looked, not the date you typed the row. Today's example format is 2026-10-13.

  3. 3

    Add a method column

    One short word for how you captured it: 'copied', 'screenshot', 'typed'. This tells you how much to trust the row when you revisit it.

  4. 4

    Add a checked_by column

    Even if it is just your own name, record who looked. If a friend adds rows later you will know which ones you never personally verified.

  5. 5

    Re-check before you act on a row

    If the checked_on date is more than a few weeks old, treat the link as stale. Open it again and update the date before you rely on it.

Common mistakes to avoid

  • Writing a vague source like 'the site' instead of a real URL.
  • Mixing date formats so the column cannot be sorted.
  • Recording the date you logged the row instead of the date you checked it.

03 · Price reality

Treat every price as an observation, not a guarantee

Prices in any shopping sheet go stale fast. This is how to record what you saw honestly, without ever presenting a number as 'the price'.

  1. 1

    Label the column 'observed_price', not 'price'

    The word 'observed' does the honesty work: it tells anyone reading the sheet that this is a snapshot from a moment, not a standing offer.

  2. 2

    Record currency and quantity together

    A bare number means nothing. Write the currency code and what quantity or variant the number applied to — a per-unit price and a per-bundle price are not the same thing.

  3. 3

    Note the conditions that change the total

    Coupons, region, shipping, taxes, and minimum order quantities all move the final number. If you saw a discount, say so next to the price so nobody assumes it is permanent.

  4. 4

    Never publish a single number as 'the price'

    Keep the observation, the date, and the conditions in the same row. That way the number can never be mistaken for a promise this guide or anyone else is making.

  5. 5

    Re-observe instead of trusting an old number

    When you go back to a row, re-open the page and update the observed price and date. Old numbers are history, not current information.

Common mistakes to avoid

  • Calling an observed price simply 'the price'.
  • Dropping the currency or quantity context.
  • Carrying a six-month-old number forward without re-checking.

04 · Image truth

Seller photos, warehouse QC, and tutorial images are not the same thing

Most confusion in a shopping sheet comes from mixing up three completely different kinds of picture. Keep them apart and you will stop fooling yourself.

  1. 1

    Know what a seller photo is

    A seller or listing photo is chosen by whoever is selling. It is marketing. It shows the general product, not the specific unit you will receive.

  2. 2

    Know what warehouse QC is

    Warehouse QC photos are supposed to show the actual unit being prepared, taken at the warehouse, usually before shipping. Even so, only trust QC images that are dated and tied to a specific order or reference.

  3. 3

    Know what a tutorial image is

    Tutorial or guide images — including anything on this site — are illustrative. They explain a concept. They are never evidence about a real item you will receive.

  4. 4

    Record which kind each image is

    In your sheet, add an image_type column and write one of: seller, qc, tutorial, unknown. A picture with no type is a picture you cannot reason about later.

  5. 5

    Do not upgrade a picture's status by looking at it

    A pretty render is still a render. Only an order-linked, dated QC photo counts as evidence about a specific unit — and even then it is a claim, not a guarantee.

Common mistakes to avoid

  • Treating a listing photo as proof of the exact unit.
  • Assuming an undated 'QC' image is about your order.
  • Showing a tutorial illustration as if it were a real product photo.

05 · Output

Read every column the cleaner adds

The cleaner never overwrites your data. It appends a small set of columns so you can see exactly what it did and why. Here is what each one means.

  1. 1

    litbuy_clean_status

    VALID means the link parsed as an HTTPS URL. DUPLICATE means this canonical link already appeared on an earlier row. ERROR means it was empty or not a valid HTTPS URL.

  2. 2

    litbuy_cleaned_url

    The canonical form of the link after safe tracking keys were removed and the remaining query parameters were sorted. Empty when the row is an error.

  3. 3

    litbuy_removed_tracking

    The tracking keys the cleaner stripped out for that row. Leaving this column in the export means you can always see what was changed and why.

  4. 4

    litbuy_note

    A plain-language explanation. It always states that availability is UNKNOWN, because this tool makes no live check against any server.

  5. 5

    Your original columns are untouched

    The cleaned URL sits beside the original link, never in place of it. Compare the two whenever you are unsure, and keep the original if you ever need to re-derive the clean one.

Common mistakes to avoid

  • Deleting the original URL column after cleaning.
  • Treating VALID as a promise that a product exists.
  • Forgetting that DUPLICATE is about the link, not the product.

06 · Links

Canonical links and tracking keys, without breaking anything

Duplicates in a shopping sheet are almost always the same page with different promotional tails. Here is the safe way to handle that.

  1. 1

    Understand what a tracking key is

    After the '?' in a link, tiny key-value pairs like utm_source, gclid, or ref record where a click came from. They do not change the page you land on.

  2. 2

    Keep the ones that carry meaning

    Some parameters do matter — for example a variant or size selector. Only remove keys you are sure are promotional. The cleaner lets you choose the exact list it strips.

  3. 3

    Let the cleaner remove and sort safely

    It removes only the keys you selected, sorts what remains, and keeps the rest of the URL intact. Nothing is guessed and nothing is dropped silently — the removed keys are logged per row.

  4. 4

    Spot real duplicates

    Once the promotional tails are gone, a duplicate becomes obvious: two rows pointing at the exact same canonical page. Compare the duplicate row against the first one it matched.

  5. 5

    Keep one, note the other

    The cleaner marks later copies as DUPLICATE rather than deleting them. You decide what to remove from your own sheet — the tool never throws away your rows for you.

Common mistakes to avoid

  • Stripping every parameter, including ones that select a variant.
  • Assuming two links are different just because their tails differ.
  • Deleting duplicate rows before checking what made them different.